1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method of detecting tissue changes.
Early recognition of tissue changes is vital in the medical field, especially in combating cancer since if tissue changes are ascertained relatively early on, in most cases, it is possible to take measures which lead to the complete recovery of the patient.
2. Description of Related Art
Known methods of early recognition are obtaining samples of body fluids for analysis, the scanning of tomographs, or in apparatus medicine also the observation, of tomographs as well as ultrasound images of individual body parts.
The disadvantage of all of these methods is that they can only furnish xe2x80x9cmoment imagesxe2x80x9d. Although, the physician is able to recognize the momentary condition of the tissue, he has no possibility of determining the growth of such a tissue change. Even for skilled physicians it is often difficult to pin-point diseased tissue changes from such a single image.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a method of detecting tissue changes which overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages. In particular, it is intended that changes in the shape and size of such tissue changes may be easily detected. The surgeon should be provided with technical means by means of which he can easily analyze the progress or formation of tissue changes.
For this purpose, the invention makes available a method of detecting tissue changes comprising the following steps:
a) taking a tissue structure scan for at least one part of a patient""s body and storing all tissue structure scan data;
b) after a predetermined period of time, taking another tissue structure scan for the part or all of the patient""s body at least once, and again storing the data;
c) computer-assisted positional assignment and comparison of the data of two or more sequential tissue structure scans;
d) computer-assisted detection and output of changes in the tissue of the patient, resulting from the different data of each body portion assigned.
In other words, either a body part or all of the patient""s body is scanned for signs of a tissue change in defined periods of time over a lengthy time period. Once the computer has assigned and compared the matching body parts, any tissue changes can be ascertained and be output so that they are easily recognizable. Thus, it is possible to locate early a diseased site, forming or growing in the body, and to observe its development.